FIVB Honorary President Says China's 2022 Olympics Bid To Benefit Development

Int'l Volleyball Federation Honorary Life President Wei Jizhong said that bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics "will benefit China's political, economic, cultural and social development," according to XINHUA. According to Wei, "stability and economic capability have become the two prerequisites that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) values most in its selection for hosts." Wei believes that China's bidding for the Winter Olympics "is a signal of its healthy economic growth and the 'co-bid' with Zhangjiakou is also an opportunity of stimulating the development of northern China as a whole." As for China's "relatively weak" winter sports, Wei said that the bid "would bring more professional ice skating courts and ski resorts to the Chinese people, encouraging them to attend all kinds of winter events" (XINHUA, 11/6).